Harry Potter and the Dark Mark
by emmasi
Summary: set after Goblet of Fire


CHAPTER 1  
Draco walked into the living room. He picked up his trunk from beside the lounge and carried it outside. It was too heavy for him, but he dared not ask for help – a Malfoy never needed help with anything. He struggled to the car and hoisted his belongings into the back. It was a black stretch limousine, with darkly tinted windows and a gleaming satin finish. Draco sat in the back, inching his feet onto the seat while his father, Lucius Malfoy, scowled at him.

'You've got everything?'

'Yes.'

'I won't make another trip and I'll be damned if I'm wasting my money on sending you things you forget.'

'I have it all!' Draco lied. He could not put his finger on it, but he knew he was missing something. He had checked and re-checked all his school supplies, he had patted his pocket just a second ago to make sure of his wand, he had even brought toys for Ferine to play with and –

'Meow!'

'Ferine!' Draco opened the door. A sleek and very distressed looking kitten was staring up at him. Its wide green eyes stood out blazingly from its pitch-black fur. Draco picked her up and put her on the seat beside him. He petted her on the head, trying to calm her down.

'I don't know why you had to get her' growled his father. 'There were plenty of older cats – and snakes! – and you had to pick the smallest, weakest, friendliest looking thing they had.' Draco ignored Lucius as Ferine snuggled into his side.

'It's not like she'll be a kitten for ever, father.' Draco scratched Ferine under her chin as she rolled purring onto her back. 'When she is older she'll be just as mean and vicious as any old snake.' Lucius starred at his son, obviously wondering what he had done to deserve such a 'good' boy.

'Hurry up! You'll miss it!' Draco ran faster, poor Ferine being bounced up and down the whole way. Ferine wriggled and clawed at Draco's arms and neck as he approached the barrier between platform's 9 and 10. Apparently, Ferine did not appreciate the idea of running headlong into a brick wall. She closed her eyes tight, wailing and crying as Draco ran. He hit the barrier, full speed, but did not crash. Ferine opened her eyes. A bright red steam train was waiting at platform nine and three-quarters, painted across it, the words 'Hogwarts Express'.

Draco entered one of the carriages and leant against the wall. His neck was stinging from frantic cat scratches and his arms and legs ached from running. He had made it just in time. Ferine seemed to be more curious that scared now – her little neck almost snapping from trying to look in six places at once – but Draco was just relieved.

He dragged his trunk into what had always been the unofficial Slytherin carriage, and looked around for his friends. The faces in the carriage all turned to him as the thump of his trunk on the floor sounded. Crabbe and Goyle looked away as Draco started dragging his things towards them. They shifted uncomfortably, and gave each other nervous sideways glances. Draco continued on, his normally pale face flushed red with exhaustion, and prepared to sit down opposite Crabbe and Goyle.

'Excuse me!' Draco jumped up. He turned around and looked at the seat. Two girls were there, one he recognised as Pansy Parkinson – the 'leader' of the Slytherin 5th year girls. Malfoy himself was considered leader of the boys but he suspected that that only came from his constant rivalry with Harry Potter – a do-gooder Gryffindor boy who had stopped the evil wizard, Lord Voldemort, when he was just a baby. Evil wizards being a favorite output of Slytherin house, not many students there liked Harry at all.

'Pansy,' said Draco, more than a little surprised by her presence, 'What are you doing here?'

'Going to school, Malfoy, what does it look like?' The other girl laughed – Crabbe and Goyle failed to hide their chuckling also.

'I meant here, in my seat.' He looked at Crabbe and Goyle. 'Well?'

'We saved it for a while…'began Goyle.

'…And the girls needed somewhere…' trailed Crabbe. Draco glared at them both, and bustled pass into the next carriage. He didn't need them. If a couple of pretty girls were more important than he was…

'And so I say to Ginny "What do you mean you lost Pigwidgeon?" and she says – '

'I didn't lose him Ron! You drove him away! You're always so mean to him!'

'You see? She still won't admit it.'

Harry and Hermione sat staring longingly into space. If no one can here you scream in space, does that mean that you don't have to hear them?

'Ginny, you lost my owl!'

'I did not!'

'Don't lie!'

'I'M NOT!'

'GINNY!!'

'OH SHUT UP!!!' Harry, Ron, Hermione and Ginny all turned 'round to the door of the carriage. Malfoy was standing there, Ferine drooping limply around his neck, and his trunk at his side. 'Do you idiot Weasleys even know how to keep your voices down?'

'I don't remember inviting you in here, Malfoy,' said Harry standing up.

'I don't need inviting, Potter, I'm not a bloody vampire!'

'Could've fooled me,' snapped Ron.

'Well that wouldn't exactly be a mean feat now would it Weasley?' Ron jumped up, ready to fight.

'Ron sit down,' Hermione ordered, pulling him back by his robes.

'Oh right, Mudblood,' jeered Malfoy, 'Like you care what happens to him.' Hermione looked up at Ron. He looked down at her.

'Of course I care. He's my friend.'

'Yeah, the only one you've got!'

'It'd be one more than you have!' Draco paused. Hermione didn't know it, but she had struck a nerve. He didn't

have any friends – none that he could count on anyway. Crabbe and Goyle obviously had other things on their minds. They didn't need him anymore. He stared at the four of them, wondering what to say. He had seen a tiny flicker in Ron's eye when Hermione had called him her 'friend' and knew what it had meant. He turned to leave, then stopped at the threshold.

'You know Weasley, you're right,' he called, 'I'd love to have a friend like Granger.' Both Ron and Hermione looked up. 'Too bad she's just not interested, eh?' He walked out, leaving the door ajar. Hermione and Ron looked after him for much longer than necessary. Harry had a feeling that they were trying to avoid each other.

CHAPTER 2  
The Great Hall was more crowded than ever. There seemed to be more students than even Hogwarts knew what to do with. The Sorting Hat nearly developed laryngitis after calling out all the first years and the four house tables seemed to need at least a dozen extra chairs each. Harry could barely see over the crowds to the staff table, but even in this chaos, his old buddy Hagrid still stood out. Harry scanned the table for the other teachers: Snape, Flitwick and Hooch were there, Trelawney (dazed though she seemed), McGonagall of course, and what he hoped was the real Mad-eye Moody.

Harry squinted, moved his head about and cleaned his glasses more than once, but still he could not see Dumbledore. He thought perhaps he was off greeting worried parents, or settling equally worried children, for it occurred to Harry that the massive increase in Hogwarts enrolment and the reappearance of Lord Voldemort were not merely coincidence.

Many people believed Hogwarts to be the safest place in the world, and likewise, they believed Dumbledore to be the only wizard strong enough to oppose Voldemort, with the possible exception of Harry himself.

Still, it was not like Dumbledore to miss the sorting ceremony, or the feast, but he was not present for either.

Harry laid awake, starring at the ceiling. Where was Dumbledore? Surely he wouldn't have left? Not with Voldemort on the loose? Not with all those parents depending on him. No. It was stupid to even think about it.

Dumbledore would never leave Hogwarts like that. He'd never leave Harry.

CHAPTER 3  
'Harry, Harry! Wake up!' Harry groaned as Ron shook him. 'Harry! Potions! Snape'll kill us if we're – '

'Alright!' growled Harry. Harry got to his feet and rummaged through his trunk for his robes. He got dressed while Ron turned around, muttering about being late on the first day.

"We've missed breakfast you know! I'll never get that meal back! My digestive system'll be all out of whack for the whole day, and then my stomach will start eating itself and I'll DIE!' Ron turned around. 'Harry, said Ron looking around, 'Where are you?'

'What?' Harry looked down. His body was gone! 'Oh no! On the first day? Why do these things always happen to me?'

' 'Cause you're the great git who keeps putting his invisibility cloak on instead of his overcoat.' Ron reached out to the sound of Harry's voice and pulled off the cloak. Harry looked down. He was all there. He glared at Ron's smirk and took the cloak from him.

'I should still be asleep you know' he said, throwing down the invisibility cloak and taking up his normal one.

'Don't worry,' Ron assured him, 'There'll be plenty of time for that in Potions.'

'Ah Potter,' hissed Snape as he and Ron entered the dungeon class room, 'You realise you're late?" Harry and Ron looked shamefully at their feet.

'Yes sir,' they answered together.

'How late are you?'

'Five minutes sir.' 

'Five…?' Snape took a pocket watch from his robes, 'But this says six.' Harry and Ron looked at each other. 'Ten points each from Gryffindor for being late.' They went to sit down. Snape stopped them. 'Ten points each for lying to a teacher.' Snape stopped them again. 'And, ten points each for interrupting my class.' They waited. 'You may sit down now.' Harry and Ron trudged to the back of the room. They unpacked their things and were about to sit down when – 'Potter,' called Snape, 'You may sit down, outside.'

Harry and Ron packed their things again and headed for the door. A mixture of disgruntled Gryffindor groans and spiteful Slytherin snickers lined their path. Harry looked at Hermione. She gave a sort of sympathetic, yet satisfied look to them, then continued copying ingredients from the board. Harry looked at Malfoy, in one of the front rows, sitting alone. Malfoy didn't seem to realise that this was the perfect opportunity for him to tease Harry, but then, he didn't seem to care. Harry deliberately bumped Malfoy's table, just to get a reaction, but all he did was look down to see that the table had stopped shaking, and continued writing.

Ron and Harry sat on the dungeon stairs, throwing small rocks down them and waiting for Potion class to end. Harry looked over to Ron. There was a vacant expression on his face – almost beyond boredom.

'Ron, have you noticed anything strange about Malfoy?'

'Have you noticed anything normal about Malfoy?' He took another rock and threw it down.

'I'm serious. I think there's something wrong with him.'

'He's a jerk, that's what's wrong with him.'

'But he's not.' Ron looked up at Harry in disgusted disbelief. 'Well, ok, he is, but he hasn't been lately. Has he?'

'He was pretty in form on the train. Why do you care?'

'It's nothing, really. Just…Have you seen Dumbledore?'

'Harry, what has Dumbledore got to do with Malfoy? Honestly, I think you're losing it you know.' Harry stared down the staircase and watched Ron's last rock disappear into the darkness.

'Maybe I never had it.'

CHAPTER FOUR  
'Now, for homework, I want you to keep practicing the spell. I want everyone to have their mushrooms into millipedes by next lesson. And I will be counting legs!'

Harry walked into McGonagall's classroom. Her last year students were all exiting for lunch and Harry wondered if he'd be able to turn a mushroom into a millipede on the first day back. She looked up at him over her glasses.

'Can I help you Mr. Potter?' Harry stepped forward.

'Um, yes, Professor. I was just wondering when Professor Dumbledore would be back.' Professor McGonagall stared at him.

'What makes you think that he's left?'

'It's just, I didn't see him at the feast, and it's not like him to – '

'Potter. A boy of your age should not be worrying over the whereabouts of staff members. Goodness knows you have enough troubles as it is.'

'It's just, he's okay, right? I mean, he hasn't left or anything?'

'Potter, even if he had left, Hogwarts would go on, safe and sound as ever. He Who Must Not Be Named has no power here.'

'But Voldemort has risen, and without Dumbledore – '

'Not another word. Go on and find your friends and don't worry, Dumbledore will be making his appearances soon. He's just very busy with so many students to keep track of. You understand.' Harry smiled and nodded. He went out to lunch with a spring in his step. Dumbledore was just busy, that's all. He hadn't abandoned them to Voldemort, he was just busy.

'Where were you?' said Hermione as Harry approached.

'No-where.'

'You look a little too happy for "nowhere"' said Ron.

'Well, if you must know, I went to see Professor McGonagall. She told me not to worry because Dumbledore is still

here and we'll be seeing him any day now.'

'I'm glad that's over with,' said Hermione, 'Now you can put all that energy into study.'

'Study?!' exclaimed Ron, 'Hermione, it's the first day! Besides, Harry's already onto something else.'

'Oh Harry you can't be serious?' They both looked at her. 'It's the first day!'

'Why are we following Malfoy?' asked Hermione, shuffling along under the invisibility cloak. 'Surely you two can

think up something better than this to get us into trouble.' Ron's sigh of annoyance echoed loudly off the walls, nearly blowing their cover.

'Who's there?' said Draco weakly. He looked around but no one was there. 'Stupid poltergeists,' he muttered.  
Draco put his hand on the wall – 'Death Eater' – he said quietly. The wall slid open, and he went inside.

'What do we do now?' asked Ron as the wall closed over

'We know the password don't we?' said Harry.

'Oh yeah, and it won't look a bit suspicious when the wall opens and no one goes inside?'

'Well I don't know why you want to go in there anyway,' said Hermione, 'I bet our common room's much better than Slytherin's.' Harry and Ron looked at each other. They had both been in Slytherin's common room – Hermione hadn't.

'I guess ours is alright,' said Ron, 'But it's not nearly so noisy in Slytherin.'

'Yeah,' said Harry, 'I remember when Ron and I were in there, it was so peaceful, I nearly fell asleep.'

'Everybody wanting to be the best,' added Ron, 'All study, all the time. I bet they get the highest grades in the school in that common room.' Neither Ron nor Harry were entirely sure that their plan to entice Hermione into doing something stupid was working, but the constant mention of 'study' and 'peace' seemed to be taking effect.

'Well,' said Hermione finally, 'I guess it'd be a shame to waste knowing the password. And I would like to see what another common room is like.' Harry and Ron looked at her hopefully. 'I'm in.'

'Great!' Harry cheered, 'Now take this.' He unwrapped the invisibility cloak from around Ron and himself and handed it to Hermione.

'What's this?' she asked suspiciously.

'We like to call it an "invisibility cloak",' teased Ron.

'Oh der, Ron, said Hermione. 'Harry, why are you giving it to me?'

'Well,' he said, 'You can't just walk in their you know.'

'I can't? What happened to we?'

'Hey,' said Ron, 'It's this or raiding Snape's cupboard again.' Hermione looked down.

'I don't why it should be me. You're the one who wants to follow him.'

'I know,' said Harry, 'I'll owe you one.'

'Try ten.' Hermione put the cloak over herself and ushered the others out of sight. She walked forward and put her hand where Draco had. 'Death Eater' she whispered. The door slid open. Hermione hopped inside before the investigating Slytherins approached the door. They stood around scratching the heads and looking outside. There was no one in sight. They finally agreed that it had been a magical failure and went back to what ever it was they were doing.

Hermione looked around. The boys had lied to her. It was quiet alright, but it was more like an eerie silence than a peaceful calm. She would've given anything to be safe and warm by the Gryffindor fire, but as it stood, she was behind enemy lines, and she had to be on her guard.

Draco was nowhere in sight. It was too early for him to have gone to bed, but he wasn't in the common room. Hermione looked around for some kind of passage. There were two staircases, one left, one right. They seemed to lead even further underground and were not very well lit. She took a chance and went down the right stairs. She was careful not to let her footsteps give her away and kept checking to see that the cloak was covering her completely.  
She spiraled down, further and further, until at last she came to door. Dark green letters with a silver lining spelled out the words:

BOYS DORMITORY

CHAPTER 5  
The door was ajar. Hermione squeezed in, ready to look away at anytime. There was no one there either. She was about to leave when she heard a faint sniffling sound. She turned around and noticed that the curtains on one of the beds were drawn. She walked into the room. The sound got louder – like someone crying. Hermione went to the bed. She rustled the curtains, pretending to be the wind, so she could see who was behind them without giving herself away. The sound stopped suddenly.

'Who's there?' Draco wrenched the curtains open. Hermione stood, stunned, in front of him. She was afraid to move incase he saw her, but Draco just stared strait through her. He got up off the bed and wiped his eyes. He went to the open door and locked it shut. Hermione was trapped.

Draco looked around suspiciously. He had felt something behind the curtain, and there was no draught in the dungeon.

'I know you're in here.' Hermione held her breath. 'That better not be you Potter!' yelled Draco. There were still tears in his eyes. It was obvious that he didn't want anyone – least of all Harry – to see him cry.

He leant up against the door and put his head back. Hermione watched him slide down to the floor in a whimpering heap. A small black cat came meowing to his side. Draco lifted his arm just enough for Ferine to squeeze through. She put her head on his chest and purred. Hermione watched in awe. This wasn't Malfoy! This couldn't be Malfoy. Thoughts of Polyjuice Potions and dark magic ran through Hermione's head, but she never really believed any of them. She wanted to reach out to him but she knew that he would just be embarrassed (and he'd kill her!). She waited and waited for him to move from the door, but he wouldn't. Instead, he just sat there, hugging Ferine.  
Hermione shuffled from one foot to another. Harry and Ron would be getting worried about her. What was she going to tell them? She couldn't say that he'd been crying. Sure it was Malfoy, but what good would it do to stoop to his level? But there seemed no other way to explain why she was away so long. Worse still, the other boys would be coming in soon – then she'd be in real trouble.

Ferine looked up over Malfoy's arm.

'Meow?' Malfoy looked up.

'What is it?' he sniffed.

'Meow.' Ferine tossed her head back to look at him and then stared back at Hermione. Hermione froze. Malfoy got up as Ferine jumped from his arms. He stalked over to his wand, never taking his eyes off Ferine. Hermione could do nothing but wait as Ferine sat in front of her, meowing. Malfoy pointed the wand squarely at Hermione.

'Accio Invisibility cloak!' At once, the cloak ripped itself away from Hermione and was drawn into Malfoy's hand. They stood staring at each other, both seeming quite bewildered. Malfoy lowered his wand. 'Granger?'

Hermione fumbled for her own wand, but Malfoy raised his again, warning her not to move. 'What are you doing here?!' he yelled, 'How much did you see?!' Hermione stuttered over the words.

'I wanted to make sure you were okay.' Actually, Harry wanted to make sure he was okay, but Hermione's intentions were good.

'I suppose you think it's funny do you? Draco Malfoy, crying alone in the dark…Your Gryffindor buddies will have a field day with this, especially Potter. I suppose he put you up to this?" She didn't want to say 'yes' but – 'Ferine!' he yelled, 'Get away from that Mudblood!' Ferine sat, looking back at Malfoy. She meowed loudly and ran to him.

'Nice cat,' said Hermione, trying vainly to break the tension. Malfoy looked down at Ferine.

'She's not as "nice" as she looks, Granger,' Malfoy lied, 'I could have her rip your throat out if I wanted.' Hermione didn't buy his story, mainly due to the fact that Ferine was purring loudly at Malfoy's ankle.

'Look, Draco, I didn't mean to embarrass you, I just wanted to know if you were okay.' Malfoy threw his wand down and picked up Ferine. He fell back on his bed and stared up at the ceiling.

'Get out.'

'Draco – '

'Get out!' He sat up and hurled the invisibility cloak at Hermione. She stared at him as he fell back down and watched Ferine trying to keep her grip on his robes. Hermione put on the cloak and went to the door. Malfoy watched the door as it open and closed, then rolled onto his stomach and reached under his pillow. He pulled out a gold envelope addressed, simply, to Draco. Draco turned the envelope over and read on the back Open in privacy.  
He looked around. Ferine was still staring up at him. He took her in his arms and went to the door. Malfoy opened the door in silence and dumped Ferine on the other side. He closed the door and bolted it shut. He looked around one more time, then went to his letter. The wax seal bore the initials LM – Lucius Malfoy. He broke the seal and turned the letter out onto his bed. An eerie hissing sound was being emitted from one of the pieces of paper. Draco picked it up and turned it over. A large, green, shimmering skull leered back at him, its serpentine tongue waggling back and forth. He knew what it was – The Dark Mark – Lord Voldemort's symbol. Shaking, Draco picked up the letter. Three words appeared in his father's handwriting:

Make me proud.

Malfoy stared at the letter and then at The Dark Mark. He reached over and picked it up. He rolled up his right hand sleeve and pressed the paper down hard onto his forearm. The hiss of the snake and his skin burning black mixed into a terrible crackling sizzle. Malfoy gritted his teeth to keep from screaming and watched the tattoo burn itself out. He pulled off the paper and rocked onto his side, clutching his arm. There was no turning back. Now, he was a Death Eater.

CHAPTER 6  
'Now, terday we'll be lookin' a' a very rare, very magical creature,' explained Hagrid, leading his class to the paddock. They rounded the corners, Slytherins with Slytherins, Gryffindors with Gryffindors and Malfoy, trailing alone. Hermione looked back every now and then, just to make sure that he hadn't gotten lost.

Malfoy had been getting weirder and weirder ever since the school year had begun. Crying, leaving people alone, forcing people to leave him alone. He'd never even talked since yelling at Hermione, and that had been almost a month ago.

They all stopped at the edge of the paddock, wondering what bizarre and, no doubt boring, creatures they would be studying today.

'This ere's wha' they call a White Stag.' The class looked at it. Hagrid had failed again. Sure, it was beautiful, but it didn't seem all that magical. 'Now don' be fooled, 'e ain' no ordinary stag.' Hagrid bent down and lowered his voice into a growling whisper. 'This fellow 'ere is a wish gran'er.' Harry looked longingly at the stag. His father, James Potter, used to transfigure into a stag, but Voldemort killed both of Harry's parents when he was just a baby.

'Now, 'e won' gran' a wish ter jus' anyone, bu' why don' yer all 'ave a go. Try yer luck!'

Harry, Ron, Hermione and Malfoy were the only ones left on Hagrid's side of the fence. While the others spoke to Hagrid, Malfoy just stared at the stag. He watched it tossing its horns back and kicking out at the countless number of grubby hands reaching out to touch it. Malfoy climbed up and over the fence.

'Is tha' boy all there?' asked Hagrid quietly, watching Malfoy moving towards the stag.

'He's all right,' said Hermione defensively, 'He's just, going through a tough time, that's all.'

Malfoy approached the stag. The other students parted for him, amazed that he had gone out of his way to be amongst them. He lifted his hand and touched the stag's neck. The stag stopped moving, paralyzed with fear as Malfoy ran his fingers town to the tether. The stag knew the evil in Malfoy. Hagrid watched, curious to see what Draco was doing. Malfoy took the buckle and undid the tether.

'Ay!' yelled Hagrid, 'Wha'd'yer think yer doin'?" Malfoy looked at Hagrid. He pulled the tether away from the stag's neck. The stag reared up and bounded over the fence into the Forbidden Forest. Hagrid tried to chase after it, but it was gone. He stormed back towards Malfoy. 'Righ'! Detention! Yer gonna be spendin' all yer free time re-capturin' tha' stag! I'll go an' speak ter Dumbledore righ' now!'

Harry, Ron and Hermione came tearing towards Malfoy.

'What did you do?!' yelled Harry. 'Do you know how long it took for Hagrid to find that thing?' Malfoy said nothing, he just smiled and walked away.

'And you idiots thought that he'd changed,' said Ron coldly.

'I don't understand' said Hermione, 'Why would he do something like that?'

'Because he's Malfoy.'

CHAPTER 7  
'He was crying, I saw him.'

'Malfoy? No way.'

'He had a little kitten and everything.'

'Yeah, well maybe he had something in his eye, and he was using the cat instead of tissue.'  
The debate about Malfoy's sensitivity had been long running. Debates concerning his sanity had been sparked a few times as well. Hermione maintained that beneath that cool, evil, son of Satan routine, there was a kind, soft hearted, mushy little boy just crying out for some attention.

Hermione spent a lot of time in the library, studying, and she was beginning to notice that she was not the only one. More than once, she had caught Draco Malfoy, staring at her from another table, pretending to read, then betraying himself with a sideways glance.

One day, Malfoy was already at a table when Hermione walked in.

'Hello,' she said awkwardly. Malfoy gave another glance and a slight nod. Hermione put down her books and sat beside him. 'Listen,' she said quietly, 'I don't know what's wrong with you Malfoy, but I really want to. I want to help you.' He didn't answer. 'Please, Draco? Please tell me what's wrong.'

'I can't.'

'Why not?'

'If I told you, I'd have to kill you.' Hermione laughed. Malfoy stared at her. 'I'm not joking.'

Draco sat in potions, scribbling out a list of afflictions from his textbook. He was, as always, alone. He could here Hermione grumbling something at Ron, quickly followed by an amused grunt from Harry, but thought it wise not to look back. He wondered how much she had told her dear friends about him, and how much – if anything – he should ever admit to.

There was a sudden crash. All motion stopped as the class turned as one to Draco's table. A trail of ink stained his arm. He looked around. Snape glared at him – an odd wince of something other that malice crossing his face. Draco reached down to the floor, collecting the pieces of his shattered ink well.

'Sorry professor,' said Draco, eyes down cast and clearly ashamed. Snape leered at him closely.

'Is anything the matter, Mr Malfoy?' Draco felt his arm. For a moment, he thought he had cut it on the shards of glass. It was wet with ink, and who was to say that it wasn't bleeding? But he soon remembered that it had already been burning before the inkwell ever fell; indeed, an involuntary jerk of pain had caused the whole commotion to begin.

'I think,' he said slowly, 'I think I'm bleeding.' He settled on this lie, for he did not want to indulge the truth that he suspected. He did not want to believe that the Dark Lord was truly calling him out.

'Let me see,' demanded Snape, reaching out to the cringing Slytherin, not so much as a hint of sympathy in his voice. Draco recoiled.

'No,' he said swiftly, determined not to let his professor see the true cause of his pain. 'No, it hurts too much…Can I go to the hospital wing?' Snape looked inquisitively at Draco.

'Very well.' Draco collected his things and headed quickly to the dungeon door. 'Malfoy!' Draco's heart raced as he paused with his had on the door. He turned around. 'Perhaps an escort is in order? That is after all a nasty looking wound. We wouldn't want you fainting in the corridors.' Draco looked back at his classmates (all of whom seemed quite stunned by the situation) and, for the first time in days, his eyes met with Hermione's.

'Mr Potter,' said Snape coldly, 'Would you kindly escort Mr Malfoy to the hospital wing?' Draco's eyes shifted across to Harry's. This was very bad. Draco knew he couldn't actually go to the hospital wing. The moment Madam Pomfrey rolled back his sleeve, she would see it – the Mark. He couldn't let that happen.

'Sir,' said Draco, hastily, 'I'm actually feeling better now. Perhaps if I could just have a moment to wash up,' he made note of his ink-stained robes, 'Harry doesn't have to come with me for that.' The moment the words left him, he knew he'd made a mistake. Harry got up.

'It's all right sir,' he sang mercilessly to the Professor, 'I'll see that Malfoy gets the treatment he needs.'

CHAPTER 8  
Draco hurried through the corridors, hoping that some how he might lose Harry, who was following at an annoyingly close range.

'What was that in there?' called Harry.

'None of your business, Potter,' answered Draco, refusing to slow down or look back. He kept walking, not quite knowing to where, but he thought if he could just keep moving…just keep running…

'Something's happened to you Malfoy!' yelled Harry, pausing at the Slytherin's back. Draco turned.

'And what's it to you Potter? Why should you care what happens to Draco Malfoy? Are we best friends now? Because I don't remember receiving any owls informing me as such. Now leave me alone!' Harry trotted beside him as he broke into a fast walk again.

'I can't do that Malfoy.' He rounded in front of Draco, stopping him mid-stride. 'Hermione told us what happened…what she saw.'

'And do you think I care what some stupid Mudblood thinks she saw?' Harry's chest tightened as he tried to stop himself from hitting Draco hard in the face. 'I don't need Granger, or you looking out for me. You say you're a parselmouth? Then understand this: Pissssssss…offfffffff…' He pushed Harry aside and kept walking. Harry looked after him, regretting having ever thought that that evil little slime-ball had changed.

'So then,' growled Hagrid as Malfoy stood before him, 'Yer think yer can catch tha' stag, do yer?' Draco looked into the forest, but did not respond. 'He's no easy feat, that beast. Far more tricks in 'im then any ol' snitch.' Draco said nothing. Hagrid felt a bout of unsolicited pity coming on for the fair-haired monster in his midst. "If ya ask me," he advised in a happily secretive tone, "It's best ter go in with a torch or somethin' so's yer can see 'is coat shinin' in the dark.' He stood up straight and patted Malfoy on the back. 'Off yer go then. You can come back 'ere in an hour or two.'

Draco wandered aimlessly through the forest. He had been here before, but before he had been with people. But the only person he could even stand to be anywhere near these days was Hermione Granger – a filthy Muggle-born Mudblood, and best friend of his worst enemy – Harry Potter.

Indeed, Draco was beginning to know what it felt like to be Harry – to bare a mark etched so deep into his skin that there seemed to be little else to define him.

He walked on, not knowing where he was or how long it had taken him to get there. He had neglected Hagrid's advice of carrying a light with him, and although it would've been as simple as withdrawing his wand from his robes, Draco found he much preferred to be engulfed in this eternal darkness; finally, the outside world was agreeing with his inner despair.

CHAPTER 9  
The door opened into the Slytherin common room.  
'Again?' sighed a disgruntled sixth year as he moved to examine the malfunctioning porthole.  
Draco lay on his bed, staring upwards into space. Ferine, more than twice the size he remembered her last, pawed tentatively at his chest.

'Meow?' Draco felt the question in her tiny voice: are you ok? He held her with both hands, lifting her up slightly and sending her a weak smile.

'I'll be alright.' 

The door creaked open. 

'Who's there?' called Draco, sitting up straight and placing Ferine to one side. No one answered. He drew back the curtain around his bed for a clearer view of the doorway. There was no one. He leaned across the bed for his wand.

'Accio – '

'Stop.' Draco lowered his wand as the invisibility cloak fell away of it's own accord. Hermione stood before him once more. They stared at each other in silence. 'I didn't see you today…in Hagrid's class.' 

'Yeah,' said Draco, a little shocked at being confronted on appropriate whereabouts by Gryffindor girl standing in a Slytherin boy's dormitory. '…I skipped it. Didn't think Hagrid would want me around after…well, you saw.' He kept rocking nervously in his place, clearly torn between replacing his wand on the nightstand or putting it firmly to Hermione's throat. 'Why are you here?'

Hermione walked forward from the doorway. She stopped a few feet from Draco's bed, looking nervously at the foot of it, and then up at Draco. He watched her cautiously, then nodded, realising that she wanted to sit down with him.

'Draco,' she said softly, reaching out to pet Ferine, 'I really want to know if you're ok.' He looked away.

'Ok,' he said almost choking with a mixture of rage, fear and shame, 'Then I'm not. There's the great confession that you've all been waiting for. I suppose Potter will have signs made up by morning – "Draco Malfoy – just as Disturbed as I am!"' Hermione shifted her hand quickly from the Ferine's neck to Draco's wrist.

'Malfoy, Harry would never do that.' She faltered slightly, not sure that she actually believed what she was saying – Malfoy had done worse to Harry plenty of times. 'And besides, you're not "disturbed", you're just going through a rough patch, that's all.' He looked deeply into her eyes – almost accusing her for being so naïve. He looked down to where her hand was touching his. In one swift movement, he flicked his wrist over her palm and slid down to grasp her fingers in his own. He looked into her eyes again – hating her for making him so weak – and rolled back his sleeve to reveal the menacing skull. Her reaction was something between a shriek and a gasp as she tried to pull away. Draco didn't let go.

'Bit more than a rough patch, wouldn't you say?' Hermione's eyes widened with fear, as she struggled against Malfoy's tightening grasp. It was all true. Everything Harry had ever said about Malfoy was true! She pulled more violently, resisting the urge to scream. The last thing she needed was more Slytherin Death Eaters to deal with.  
'Malfoy!' she cried in a hurried whisper, 'Let me go! I swear! I swear I won't tell anyone! Just please…' Her words died into tears. Malfoy stared at her without sympathy. He let go. Hermione held both her hands to her face, still too terrified to gather the presence of mind she needed to escape.

'You will tell them,' he told her bluntly. 'You'll tell them because you have to.' Draco got off his bed and started pacing the length of it. 'You'll tell them, and they'll come, and they'll kill me…Potter, Weasley, Dumbledore…I expect even your good friend Hagrid will have a crack at me before the Ministry ever hears…' Hermione watched him in horror. She no longer saw Draco Malfoy, the sad, misunderstood boy she had tried to reach out to. Before her now stalked a desperate, unstable and unmistakably evil young man. She cowered as he approached her again. 'Hermione…' she glanced up through her fretful tears as his pale face met hers once more. '…You have to tell them.'

He walked mournfully over to the invisibility cloak in the doorway. He looked down on it as if staring into his own grave, then swooped it up in wrist-bare arm. Ferine leapt off the bed to meet him, batting playfully at the new toy Draco had found for her. Hermione forced herself to her feet, finally locating her now out-stretched wand. Draco smiled, almost laughing as she inched toward him. Ferine sat on her haunches, both front limbs flailing, apparently oblivious to Hermione's approaches.

'Hermione,' she flinched as he said her name. 'Will you look after Ferine for me? When I'm gone?' She glanced down at the innocent cat, and then up to the equally innocent eyes of Malfoy. She nodded, tight lipped, then motioned for the cloak to be thrown to her. Draco did as asked, still smiling, as though nothing at all had happened, then bent down to continue his game with Ferine.

Hermione, threw the cloak over herself, then sidestepped Malfoy to the door.

'Hermione?' She paused at the threshold, looking back into the darkened room. Malfoy did not bother trying to meet her invisible eyes, instead looking into the brilliant green light of Ferine.

'Yes?' she breathed against all her better judgement.

'I'm sorry I called you a Mudblood.' Hermione shivered, a voice in her head screaming for her to run. She turned silently and walked out into the common room, leaving Malfoy and Ferine to their game.

CHAPTER 10  
The Fat Lady's portrait swung open. Harry and Ron looked across the Gryffindor common room as Hermione entered.

'Where've you been?' asked Ron. 'You missed a cracking lunch. I couldn't remember what you liked so I saved you a bit of everything.' He emptied his pockets of bundled up napkins and set them down on the table in front of her. Before Hermione had a chance to say anything, a flutter of tiny wings filled the air, carrying Pigwidgeon down to the feast that Ron had so graciously put out for him. 'Oi! Get out of it!'

'He arrived half way through lunch,' Harry explained as Hermione looked at the little owl.

'Yeah,' said Ron tiredly, 'Should've arrived with the rest of the post at breakfast – mum sent a letter with him saying that he'd come back to The Burrow – but he was too useless to even do that right.' He waved his hand at Pigwidgeon, eliciting a shrill and disgruntled hoot form the little bird.

'Hermione?' said Harry inquisitively, 'Is that my invisibility cloak?' Hermione looked at him. She squeezed at the cloak in her hand, reminding her self that it was still there. She gave a distant sort of nod, and held it out at a shaking arm's length to Harry. Harry move to take it from her. She was strangely pale. 'Hermione? Are you ok?' She took a disturbingly long moment to answer. 'Hermione?' She nodded.

Harry took the cloak from her, then watched her walk up the stairs. He looked at Ron, and then down at his cloak – a thread pulled loose at the bottom. Where exactly had she been?

Draco hurried down the corridor. He was going to be late – the last class he would ever take, and he couldn't even show up on time. A hand reached out from behind him, dragging him back against the wall.

'What did you do to Hermione!?' demanded Ron, slamming Malfoy's head against the hard stone.

'I didn't…' he gasped, clawing at Ron's hand for release. Ron tightened his grip on Draco's neck and pressed his wand into the Slytherin's ribcage.

'She came back to our common room shaking,' snarled Ron. 'She didn't say a word to anyone, and she hasn't said a word since.' He pushed his wand so hard into Draco's side that it seemed to be on the verge of breaking point.

'What did you do to her?' he whispered slowly. His fingers closed even tighter around the pulsing throat beneath them. 'If you've hurt her…'

'No…' Draco's head thrashed for air as he tried to answer. Ron's fiery gaze remained unbroken into the watery blue-grey eyes before him.

'Fine…' Draco winced as the wand jabbed into him further. 'We'll do it your way. Cruc – '

'Ron!' Hermione ran towards them. 'What the Hell do you think you're doing!?' He stared at her, as if any answer would be stating the obvious. 'Ron, put your wand down!' He snorted in disbelief as Hermione reached into her robes. 'Ron…' she warned. She whipped her wand out of her pocket and aimed it squarely at him. Ron looked at her in disgust, then turned his fury back on Draco. 'Expelliarmus!' Ron fell back as his wand spiraled from his hand. Draco fell to his knees, exhausted form lack of breath.

'Fine!' spat Ron, making towards Draco again, 'I don't need magic for this!' He grabbed Draco by the hair and brought the oxygen-starved face to meet his knee.

'Ron!' screeched Hermione as she watched Malfoy fall back pathetically. 'Stupefy!' Ron's arm stopped mid-swing as he made to connect with Malfoy's face again. He glared up at her, breathing hard and fast, as he struggled to move against the spell. He watched – close to horrified – as Hermione went to Draco's aid.

'You're not serious?' sneered Ron, sensing there was more to this than Hermione was letting on. 'Malfoy?'  
Hermione glared back at him as she tried to survey the damage he had done to Draco.

'There was no need for this, Ron,' she said sadly.

'Really?' His arm twitched as he felt the spell's effects decreasing. ''Cause I kinda thought there was! He did something to you Hermione, and I don't care if you're to scared or embarrassed to say it, that filthy little bastard is going to pay!' She petted Draco's hair sympathetically and propped him up against the wall, then stood to meet Ron.  
'He didn't…' Hermione paused. She was scared, but not for the reasons Ron thought. It had only been an hour or so since she had discovered Draco's terrible secret. She hadn't even asked to borrow Harry's cloak when she went to meet Draco that lunchtime, but she had thrown it back to him as though he had known where she'd been the whole time. And it wasn't too difficult for him to or Ron to guess.

'Ron,' she started again, '…It's none of your business.' She felt strange telling him this, for really, it was none of her business either. But whether she liked it or not, now she was involved.

Ron shook him self free of the remnants of Hermione's spell. Their eyes sparked angrily at each other for a moment, then Ron finally turned away to collect his wand.

'I'll see you in Potions,' said Ron sourly before disappearing heatedly around the corner ahead. Hermione knelt down beside Draco. She dabbed at the mixture of blood and tears lining his face.

'We'd better get you to the hospital wing,' she whispered over his quick and painful intakes of breath. He looked up at her. What was she up to? She knew what he was – what he was capable of. Why was she acting like they were friends?

He got up slowly, too cautious of her to look away, and followed her back along the corridor.

CHAPTER 11  
Snape cast a steely gaze across the sullen faces in his classroom. He noted that he had not once seen an annoyingly repetitive hand shooting up to display its owner's unbidden insight.

'Potter,' he said abruptly, 'Where's Granger?' Harry looked at Ron, who was almost tearing a whole in his parchment from pushing his quill so hard.

'I don't know sir,' said Harry, truthfully. He was very worried. Hermione would never miss a class – least of all one as complicated as Potions – unless there was something very serious distracting her.  
Snape turned to Ron.

'Mr Weasley?' Ron refused to look up.

'I don't care,' he mumbled grumpily. Harry distinctly heard a faint ripping sound, followed by the telltale scratch of Ron's quill hitting raw wood. Snape surveyed him curiously.

'And where is Mr Malfoy, I wonder?' Ron's eyes shot up to meet Snape's. Snape was clearly in two minds as to whether he should be simply outraged at students skipping his class, or if he should just be glad of an excuse to continue torturing Ron so effectively. He sneered at Ron, and Ron glared back, making little effort to conceal his rage. 'I do hope they've not been called away on more…urgent matters.'

Snape swept back to the front of the room, Ron's eyes burning a hole in the back of his professor's robes the whole way.

'Ooh, it's a broken nose,' said Madam Pomfrey, looking over Draco. He flinched as she pawed at his face. 'This is exactly why we don't allow running in the halls. Still, I'd have thought that a Quidditch Seeker would've been able to stop himself from running headlong into a wall, no matter what speed he was going at.' Draco pinched at the bridge of his nose as Madam Pomfrey scurried off for her wand. He looked at Hermione, standing beside his hospital bed.

'You didn't tell them?' he asked, wincing with pain. Hermione shook her head. Madam Pomfrey bustled back between them and administered a healing spell.

'There we are Mr Malfoy,' she said happily, 'Good as new. It'll be a little tender for a while, obviously. Better try sleeping it off for a few hours. And in future, do try to be more careful.'

Hermione looked at Draco. Draco looked at Hermione. Madam Pomfrey looked at them both suspiciously.

'Miss Granger?' she said politely, 'Is there somewhere you should be?'

'No Madam – well, yes, but – Madam Pomfrey could I just stay here? Please?' Madam Pomfrey smiled.

'Miss Granger,' she said reassuringly, 'Malfoy will be fine. Now you run along back to class, and try not to worry.'  
Hermione nodded defeated. She turned to Malfoy.

'I'll be back as soon as I can, ok?' He looked up at her, his eyes pleading for her to stay as he reached out for her hand.

'Hermione, don't leave me here,' he cried in a hurried whisper. 'If they…If they see it…' Hermione looked into Draco's watering eyes. Surely this was not the face of a Death Eater.

'I thought…' she said, toying nervously with his sleeve, 'I thought you wanted them to know.' Draco shook his head frantically.

'I don't,' he cried, 'I don't want to die! I don't want any of this! I don't…Hermione, I'm scared.' He closed his hand tighter around hers. Both were shaking.

'Miss Granger?' called Madam Pomfrey.

'Look, Draco, I have to go, but I'll be – aah!' Hermione squealed as Draco's grip became a crushing force on her own. Her eyes shot to his for an explanation, but he was no help. Writhing in agony, he screamed out as the Dark Mark burned him. Madam Pomfrey dashed to Hermione's aid, wrestling her breaking hand from Draco's grasp.  
Hermione held her crumpled hand to her chest and watched in horror as Madam Pomfrey forced a powerful sleeping draught down Malfoy's throat. He coughed a little, then settled peacefully into the bed.

'Well, that should take care of him for a while. As for you Miss Granger,' Hermione looked at her, trembling with shock, as the kindly old witch inspected her injured hand. 'I guess you'll be staying after all.'

CHAPTER 12  
Malfoy woke up. He felt sort of light headed – like he was still dreaming with his eyes open. He looked across from his own bed and into the next one. Hermione was lying there, asleep, with her moonlit face turned towards him.  
It was dark. There was no one in the room besides them. Malfoy smiled as Hermione's eyes twitched open. She smiled back as she saw him.

'Hey,' she whispered dreamily.

'Hey,' he answered happily. Hermione's right hand moved into view. Draco saw that it was bandaged. 'What happened?' Before he'd even finished asking, he remembered exactly what had happened. 'Oh Hermione…I'm so sorry.' She shook her head.

'It's ok. You didn't mean to.'

'But I …Are you ok?' Hermione nodded.

'It was the Mark, wasn't it?' asked Hermione seriously. 'It was hurting you. And in Potions, too, when you knocked the ink-well…'

'Yeah,' said Draco. 'It's never been that bad though. Not since I first got it.' Hermione hesitated.

'How did you get it?' she asked cautiously. Draco looked at her, then at his sleeve – still safely concealing his secret from the world.

'I…' he began, 'My father gave it to me.' He looked away. 'Wanted me to make him proud.'

'Malfoy…' said Hermione, softly, 'Do you want to be a…a Death Eater?' Malfoy hesitated. He thought about what his father would say if he knew that his only son – Draco Malfoy – was betraying him and the Dark Lord's name to a Mudblood. He looked up at her.

'No.' She reached out her hand to him across the gap between their beds. He hesitated again, then did the same to her. She smiled at him, barely knowing why he seemed to make her so happy, and whispered to him in a sweet and sincere voice, as their fingers locked into one another's:

'Then I'm proud of you, Draco.'  
The door of the hospital wing flew open. Hermione and Draco quickly snapped their hands back to their own beds as Harry and Ron entered.

'Hermione,' asked Harry sweeping into the room while Ron stood watch at the door, 'What happened?' Ron threw a dangerously knowledgeable look at Hermione, before dragging his attention back to the empty hallway.

'It's nothing,' said Hermione, sitting up quickly, 'I just had a bit of an accident that's all.' She looked at Draco. Ron's snort of disbelief called her attention to the doorway. 'Why do you need a look out anyway? What time is it?'

'Almost two-thirty,' said Harry. 'We came to see you before dinner.'

'And after,' added Ron.

'And you were asleep both times.' He looked at Malfoy. 'You both were.'

A volt of electric panic ran through Malfoy. He sat up, staring wide-eyed at Harry. Harry stared back at him coldly.

'Neither of us could stand the thought of you being left alone with this creep,' said Ron peering back from the doorway, 'So we thought we'd come check on you.' Harry and Ron glared at Malfoy as his eyes darted rapidly between them.

'Look,' said Hermione bluntly to the both of them, 'Malfoy didn't do anything, so you can stop staring at him like he's an escaped criminal.'

'We were just worried, Hermione,' said Harry calmly.

'Well if Ron hadn't gotten so "worried" this afternoon, neither of us would be in hospital in the first place!'

'So he did do something,' concluded Ron darkly.

'What?' asked Hermione.

'You said, that if I hadn't put him in the hospital, you wouldn't be in here either. He hurt you, didn't he?'

'Ron, that's not the – '

'Yes.' Everyone looked at Malfoy. He was sitting up – legs crossed beneath the covers with his left hand holding his right forearm. 'I did. I broke her hand.' He gave Hermione another apologetic look.

'But it was an accident!' hissed Hermione, as though trying to hush Draco from telling the truth. 'He didn't mean to – he couldn't help it! He just – ' Hermione broke off as she saw Draco pushing his sleeve back. She leapt from her bed to stop him, throwing all her weight onto his arm to stop it moving.

'Draco,' she whimpered, 'Think about this.'

'I have.' He tried to continue his revelation, but Hermione pressed his sleeve down harder. She leant into his ear, so that she was sure that neither Harry nor Ron could hear her.

'Draco, I could stun them. They wouldn't even know what hit them, you could run away and – '

'And?' Draco spoke audibly as he looked painfully up at Hermione. He could see tears forming in her eyes. 'I don't want to be running for the rest of my life.'

'Draco,' she sobbed, 'I don't want you to die.'

Harry had never seen Hermione act this way, at least not to somebody like Malfoy. He watched them closely – Hermione refusing to let go of Draco, and Draco refusing to let her keep hold.

'Malfoy,' said Harry slowly as Ron crossed the room to meet them, 'What's going on?'

Draco lifted Hermione's hand from his sleeve. He heard her crying, although she tried very hard to mask the sound. He felt certain that it was not the fact that Harry was about to kill him that upset her so, but rather the fact that for some reason she had taken it upon herself to protect him, and she had failed.

'Hermione,' said Draco, also now choking with tears, 'It'll be ok.' He knew it was a lie, but if it would stop her crying…

Hermione gasped as Draco rolled up his sleeve. She turned way, determined no to catch Ron's accusing eye.  
'You knew?' he asked, disgusted. 'You knew what he was – the kind of danger he could've put us in – and you didn't say?' Hermione didn't look at him, but she seemed more defiant than ashamed.

'I only found out at lunch,' she mumbled dismissively.

'Oh is that all?' yelled Ron sarcastically.

'Keep your voice down,' hissed Harry, who seemed to be taking it all very well. He turned to Malfoy. 'How long…how long have you had it?' he asked trying to sound composed.

'Since the start of term,' answered Draco. His eyes fell on the Dark Mark. He had barely been able to glance at it before now, and it still sent shivers though his body.

'Have you been to see Voldemort?' Draco shook his head, rocking slightly, as if to pacify himself.

'I can't,' he said. 'Even if I wanted to – which I don't – I can't appearate or disappearate. There's no way for me to come when I'm called.'

'Then why do you have his Mark?' asked Harry, genuinely confused. 'I mean, what's the point?' Draco looked up at Harry, his face more serious than Harry had ever remembered.

'It's there,' said Draco, 'To let him know I'm his.'

CHAPTER 13  
'We should've killed him,' declared Ron as he glared at the back of Malfoy's greasy little skull. Harry gently reminded him that they had agreed not to say anything about Malfoy until they knew for certain that he was a danger.

'Hermione seems to think that he's ok,' said Harry confidently.

'Thinks he's a bit more than "ok"' grumbled Ron, watching closely as Draco leant to his right for a quick word to Hermione. 'Look!' whispered Ron to Harry, 'Did you see that? He's trying to get her kicked out of class, distracting her with pointless Death Eater drivel. She'll be failing Transfiguration next.' Harry narrowed his eyes at Ron, fearing that they themselves were far more likely to suffer that fate if Ron didn't shut up. He poked his wand at the disobedient slug in front of him, and watched in distant awe, as Hermione's own dormouse turned into a beautiful silk scarf before his eyes.

'Look,' said Harry trying to put an end to Ron's incessant wining, 'We're just going to have to trust her judgement. She's never been wrong before.'

'Oh yeah?' said Ron, finally tearing himself away form silently cursing Malfoy, 'What about when she tried to do a hundred subjects at once? She thought she could handle that, didn't she?'

'Yeah, well that's different.'

'No it's not. It's exactly the same. Only this time, when she finds out that she can't handle Malfoy, she won't have a Time-Turner to save her.'

Malfoy tensed up. Hermione grabbed his forearm, both of them pausing dramatically.

'Are you ok?' she whispered. He began to nod. Suddenly, he winced. Hermione held him steady, trying not to attract attention. He jumped slightly in his chair as the pain began to build. 'Draco…?'

Ron was watching with great interest. Harry (whose scar seemed to be burning simultaneous to Draco's Mark) watched also.

'Mr Malfoy?' said Professor McGonagall, looking up from her desk, 'Is there something wrong?' Draco whimpered as he tried to breathe without screaming. 'Mr Malfoy…?'

'Professor,' gasped Hermione, trying in vain to sound calm, 'Perhaps I should take him to the hospital wing? He – he doesn't look well.'

'No, he doesn't,' said Professor McGonagall concurrently. She hesitated to release them from her class. Draco's breath squeaked and cracked as he tried to contain himself.

'Professor?' pleaded Hermione, more urgent than the situation seemed to warrant.

'Alright,' said Professor McGonagall. 'Take him! Take him!'

The rest of the class watched curiously as Hermione ushered Malfoy from the room as quickly as she could – not once releasing her grip on the Dark Mark.

Harry felt his heart stop. This could be a trap: lure Hermione away into the corridors while everyone else is in class. And it was working. Quills started scratching down notes only seconds after the two had disappeared from the doorway. Nobody seemed to think twice about Hermione's safety, but then, nobody knew they should – nobody but him and Ron.

'Argh!' cried Harry loudly. The class turned to the source of commotion. Professor McGonagall raised an eyebrow at him.

'Mr Potter?' she called skeptically. Harry pressed his hand to his forehead, screwing his face up and stamping his foot dramatically.

'Professor!' he started, 'I have a – a – a head ache!' He grunted feverishly as Ron looked at him blankly. It was true, Harry was milking this slight twinge for everything it was worth, but he reminded himself, that a lesser man – a man who had not spent his entire life enduring such pain – might well have reacted this way for real.

'Well then,' said Professor McGonagall, 'I suppose you'd better follow Mr Malfoy and Miss Granger to the hospital wing.' Her deliberate choice of words was not lost on Harry or Ron (who had finally caught onto the idea). Harry got to his feet without question and started towards the door. Ron began to follow. 'Mr Weasley?' Ron stopped and turned. 'Where do you think you are going?' Ron motioned to Harry, who stood waiting for him at the threshold, but a slow shake of McGonagall's head told them that Ron would be staying. With a silent groan, Ron threw himself back into his seat, and watched Harry disappear into the hallway.

Draco stumbled, bracing himself against the wall. Hermione helped him onto the ground where he could rest, if only for a moment.

Hermione didn't know what to do for him. She watched helplessly as he rubbed at the Mark through his robes. Then, that attempt at relief having failed, he ripped his sleeve open with his bare hands so as to bury his fingernails into his skin.

'Draco, stop!' she pleaded as he began to draw blood.

'It won't,' he shivered, 'It won't stop hurting.' He withdrew his wand from his robes, and dug the tip into the eye of the Dark Mark.

'Draco, don't!' cried Hermione, afraid of what he might do. He pushed her aside and out of harms way.

'Inflamare!' Draco's skin caught fire. He laughed insanely as the flames purged the evil from him – burning and licking the Dark Mark away.

Hermione fumbled for her own wand determined to put a stop to Draco's madness.

'Aquaticus!' she yelled. A jet of water rushed urgently form her wand to douse the ravenous fire. Draco screamed as for the first time he felt the true pain of what he had done. He slammed his head against the wall, hoping to distract his senses from his blistering arm, or better yet to knock himself out completely.

Harry rounded the corner.

'Hermione,' he panted 'I heard dueling. Are you – ' He sniffed at the air. 'What's that smell?' Hermione took a silk scarf (formerly a dormouse) form her pocket and began to wrap it around Draco's wound.

'He burned himself,' said Hermione.

'He what?' asked Harry, looking around the empty hallway. 'How did he manage that?'   
Hermione picked up Draco's discarded wand.

'He…' she waved it indicatively, '…burned himself.' Harry stared blankly at her for a second, then understood.

'He – he what? Oh my God…'

Harry felt ill. Not only was he forced to imagine what Draco's burning flesh might look and feel like, he could actually smell – and almost taste – the side effects.

'What are you doing out of class anyway?' asked Hermione, making use of Harry's only remaining sense.

'I…well I had a headache.' Hermione looked up at him.

'Don't you always?'

'Yeah, well. I was just – '

'You were just checking up on me.' Hermione pulled the scarf a little tighter than seemed necessary. Draco slammed his head against the wall again.

'I was checking up on him,' Harry confessed. Hermione got to her feet dragging Draco with her.

'Yeah. Well, we're both fine Harry, so you can just go back to Transfiguration with Ron, and work on some other way to spy on me. Maybe turn that slug of yours into a pair of binoculars.'

Hermione walked away as fast as Draco's slumping form would allow her. Harry looked after them, confused. Why was Hermione so angry with him when all he wanted to do was protect her?

CHAPTER 14  
'Are you ok?' asked Hermione as she and Draco made their way to Hagrid's cabin.

'Yeah,' said Draco, still scratching at his wounds like a dog with stitches. 'That potion you made really helped.'

'It' was just something I've been working on to impress Snape – thought it might help me on my OWLs.'  
Draco stopped in his tracks. OWLs. He had been so caught up in this Dark Mark business, that one of the most important tests he was ever likely to take had completely slipped his mind.

'You didn't forget, did you?' asked Hermione, truly horrified. 'Oh Draco how could you? All the teachers mention it about five times a lesson, and the fifth years never stop talking about it! Well, I don't anyway.' They continued on as the sky grew darker above.

'I don't much talk to anyone these days,' said Draco plainly. 'And when you're around…well, there's other stuff to talk about when you're around, isn't there?' Hermione gave him a little smirk, her academic conscience too affronted to manage a complete smile.

'And the teachers?' Draco was careful not to look Hermione directly in the eye as he answered this, lest her inevitably mortified look turn him to stone.

'Yeah, about that…' he began, walking a little faster, 'Well, once I decided that I…well, that I was going to…'  
'Either serve out a miserable life as He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named's henchman or die trying to avoid it…' Draco started at how brazenly Hermione described what he considered to be a very complicated and emotional matter.  
'Yes that,' he continued, 'Well, I sort of didn't really see a need to pay all that much attention to teachers, any more.' Draco thought he almost heard Hermione's jaw unhinge as it dropped in horror. 'I mean, I listened to class work – home work assignments and all that – but when ever they started talking about "the future," I guess I just sort of felt more hopeless than I already was. I must have just started tuning it out after the first few weeks.'

Hermione was silent. She stepped up to Hagrid's door as the last remnants of daylight drifted from the timber.  
'Well then,' she said finally to Draco, 'I guess we'll just have study extra hard from now on.' She knocked on the door happily. 'Because you do have a future Draco Malfoy, and I'm going to help you meet it.'  
The door dragged itself open.

'Hermione!' said Hagrid merrily, 'What're you doin' 'ere?' His jovial smile fell slightly at the sight of Malfoy standing in his doorway. 'And I suppose yer here fer yer dention are ya?' Malfoy nodded.

'Well, Hagrid,' said Hermione, 'We both are. I was wondering if I could tag along with Malfoy tonight. If that's alright with you.'

'It most certainly is not!' Hermione jumped as this unexpected bellow erupted from her friend. 'I'm not gonna 'ave a good girl like you servin' a detention with a delinquent like 'im.' Malfoy glared a little. No matter what his current circumstance, his personal pride was still a difficult thing to shake.  
'Oh Hagrid, I don't mind, honestly. Malfoy and I were just discussing how he's been falling behind in his studies,

and I thought that I could maybe go over a few things with him while he's doing detention for you.' Hermione smiled at Hagrid and then at Draco. Draco smiled back, but Hagrid looked suspicious. He leant down close to Hermione to whisper the best his gigantic voice would allow.

'He's not brib;n' you is he Hermione? Holdin' sompthin' over yer head so's you'll catch tha' stag fer 'im?'

'No Hagrid,' laughed Hermione, 'I'm fine, really.' She smiled at him. 'So can I go with him?' Hagrid still looked suspicious, but he just couldn't bring himself to say no.

'Alrigh', Alrigh'. But be back before nine – I don't want you two out there at all hours. Tha's a dangerous place, tha' is.'

Draco turned to leave. Hermione made to follow him.

'Hermione,' whispered Hagrid again, still lower than before, 'I don' wanna pry, but: you can do be'er than Draco Malfoy.' Hermione grinned ear to ear at him, and shook her head blushing, as if trying to tell him that he was very sweet to be concerned, but shouldn't worry himself. She ran off after Malfoy and followed him deep into the shadows of the Forbidden Forest. Hagrid watched them closely till he could no longer see them for the trees.

'How is it that you still haven't found this thing?' asked Hermione as she loosened her robes from a tangle of thorns.

'You've been in here nearly every night for the past few weeks – you'd think you'd've come up with something.'

Draco held his wand to where Hermione was working out the thorns, so that the light of his lumos spell might help her. 'Thanks,' said Hermione, releasing the thread at last.

'Truth is,' said Draco, 'I wasn't really looking.' He moved past Hermione as she stared at him, disbelieving.

'You mean to tell me that you've been coming in here every night and just…wandering?' He nodded, unashamed. 'Draco, Hagrid's told you that you'll be serving detention in here every night until you find the White Stag. Surely you could've made an effort?' Draco paused.

'I didn't want to see it in chains.' Hermione looked at him.

'What?'

'The Stag – I didn't want to see it…tied up like that. I knew that'd be me one day – in Azkaban – and I just thought…' He turned away, swiftly changing his thoughts on the matter. 'It was a stupid thing to do.'

Draco moved further into the forest. Hermione close behind him. He paused, letting her take the lead. He was not far behind – she could still see his lumos spell framing the shadows before her.

Suddenly, the soft glow of light turned into an angry flare. Hermione turned around. Draco's wand was ablaze with light as he clutched down hard on his arm. He gritted his teeth, trying to hold both his arm and the flaming wand away from his body.

Draco's breath was fast and shaky. Hermione ran back to him, trying to brace him as the pain took over his body. He screamed out, sending several roosting birds twittering into the night air.

'It just won't stop,' Draco cried, painfully tired. His head thrashed from shoulder to shoulder as he tried not let himself be burned again. Hermione stepped into him, taking his wand-wielding arm in one hand, and the back of his neck in the other.

'I think I know a way to take your mind off it.' She held his wand steady with her hand and blew the flame out, leaving nothing but darkness around them.

CHAPTER 15  
Draco lay silently on the forest floor, contemplating the fringe of moonlight in the canopy above. Hermione lay beside him, her arm stretched across his chest, her head nestled warmly into his shoulder.

'I'm sorry,' said Draco mournfully. Hermione looked at him.

'For what?' she asked, confused.

'Everything…' he said. 'Everything I've put you through these past few days – these past few years.'

'Well,' said Hermione as she let her hand slip between the buttons in Draco's shrit, 'I think you've more than made up for that.' She smiled. He did not return the gesture.

'I'm serious,' he said, refusing to look away form the light. Hermione stared at him deeply. She propped herself up on her elbow and leant across him, turning his face to hers.

'So am I.' She kissed him.  
Before tonight, Draco had been convinced that warmth and happiness were things that only existed in fairy-tales, for he had long since forgotten what either one of them might have felt like. But here, in the Forbidden Forest, he was being reminded. Things inside him that he thought had died were just waiting to be reborn. And things that he never even realized were making themselves forcefully known.

Hermione pulled away.

'It's getting late,' she whispered. 'We should probably head back.' Draco was reluctant to let her go. She laughed at him softly. 'Don't worry,' she told him, 'You've still got detention tomorrow.'

'So,' asked Hagrid, 'Did ya get lucky?' Draco's eyes widened a little before Hagrid obliviously finished his question. 'Did yer find the stag?'

'Oh,' said Draco, as he watched Hermione start towards the castle, 'Uh, no. No. No luck tonight. Maybe tomorrow.' Hagrid followed Malfoy's starry-eyed gaze to Hermione. Draco – taking leave of his senses – patted Hagrid on the back. 'See ya Hagrid,' he said happily, and chased off after Hermione. Hagrid looked at the two of them, laughing and smiling, then he shot a very troubled look at his old dog Fang. Fang made a questioning sort of noise at Hagrid's expression. Hagrid looked back to Hermione and Draco and felt something in his brain make a horrible click.  
"Oh dear oh dear oh dear…"

CHAPTER 16  
'Where've you been? Like I need to ask…'  
Hermione did not take Ron's words to heart. Instead she gave him a short and simple answer.

'Tutoring.'

'Oh yeah,' said Ron bitterly, 'Is that what they're calling it these days?' He got up form the table (which was scattered with crumpled up parchment and inkblots) and pulled up a chair close to the fire, making sure that his back was impenetrably turned on everyone. Hermione shook her head at him, and took the freshly vacated seat at the table.

'Honestly,' said Harry as Hermione sat down with him, 'We were worried about you. You could've said something.' He was no where near as angry as Ron, but he was clearly hurt that Hermione didn't seem to be too bothered with their feelings at all these days. She considered debating with him about why she should have a curfew imposed upon her while everyone else does as he pleases, but she was in too good a mood to be attacking her best friend right now.

'How's your headache?' she asked politely. Harry had to stop and think what she was talking about.

'Oh, yeah. It's fine. It kinda stung a while ago though.' Hermione stopped being flippant with the conversation.

'How long ago?' she asked, suddenly very interested in what Harry had to say.

'I, er,' he was not expecting such a fierce line of questioning so soon after her arrival. 'Maybe an hour ago, or so?' He was honestly not that sure, as he tended not to catalogue these things too thoroughly. As long as his skull wasn't bursting open, all was well. Hermione looked very serious. 'Hermione? What's…?'

'Draco,' she said. 'About an hour ago, the Dark Mark started giving him trouble. Big trouble.'

'I knew it!' growled the back of Ron's chair, 'I knew you were with that stupid, ugly, pathetic little…'

'And if your scar hurt at the same time…'

'You think Voldemort's up to something,' concluded Harry.

'Harry, in Transfiguration today, did you really have a headache? Even a little one?' Harry nodded. 'Then he's up to something. He has to be. Your scar, the Dark Mark…'

'He's calling the Death Eaters to him – '

'And they're making him stronger…Harry, this is bad. This is really, really – '

'Bad…' grumbled Ron, totally unaware of the discussion of life and death that had been going on around him. 'They always want them bad…I could be bad…not that he's bad – he's just a selfish, spineless…'

'Ron?' called Harry.

'…Greasy, whimpering…'

'Ron?'

'…Smarmy, snot-nosed…'

'RON!' Ron paused.

'…Two-faced little git.' He looked back at them from behind the chair. 'What?'

'Haven't you heard what we've been saying?' asked Hermione. Ron shook his head, not really caring what they'd been saying.

'Well, if you had,' said Harry, 'You'd know that we're on to something. About Voldemort."

'What are you talking about?' asked Ron skeptically.

'We think he's up to something,' said Harry.

'That's helpful, ' scoffed Ron. '"We think he's up to something". Not really case bloody closed, is it?'

'Look,' said Hermione, fast becoming bored of Ron's scorned attitude, 'Voldemort is up to something and it's affecting Harry and Malfoy and I want to know what exactly that something is!'  
Harry hoped he had not been too obvious in diving quickly from Hermione's line of attack. He wriggled his chair back to the table as subtly as possible, then asked Hermione a very important question:

'And how do we find out what he's up to?'

'Draco, it's the perfect opportunity to find out what the real Death Eaters are up to,' said Hermione, trying to convince Draco as she followed him down to the Quidditch pitch.

'Hermione,' he said, walking quickly, 'Quidditch is all I have left – I don't want to think about this stuff right now.'

'Draco,' whispered Hermione, 'You're father is going to be there to watch your match. We know he's – he's one of them, and if he thinks that you are too, you might be able to get some information out of him.'

'Hermione,' said Draco, stopping suddenly, 'Just let me get through the game, ok? Then I'll see about destroying my father.' He continued onto the change rooms, leaving Hermione to take her place in the stands.

CHAPTER 17  
Harry and Draco watched each other, hovering high above the Quidditch pitch. Harry kept waiting for Draco to make some kind of smart-aleck remark, but Draco barely seemed interested in Harry at all. Harry kept a close eye on the Slytherin Seeker while he scanned his peripherals for a fleeting hint of the Golden Snitch.

'Angelina Johnston scores ten points for Gryffindor,' Lee Jordan's voice echoed over the pitch as he called the match. Neither Seeker was paying too much attention to the game. All they needed to worry about was the little gold ball that would win their team 150 points if they caught it, but neither of them had seen the Snitch yet. 'Another tenner for Slytherin,' said Lee, a little less enthusiastically (being a Gryffindor supporter, himself).

Draco let his eyes wander form Harry's and down to the stands. He scanned the Gryffindor ranks for Hermione, but couldn't see her. Perhaps it was just as well. He was distracted enough without having to think about her.

He found Lucius. His father's long blonde hair stood out in the crowd, his cold grey eyes fixed proudly on Draco. Harry followed Draco's gaze and wondered what he might be up to. Hermione had insisted that Draco was harmless – that he was a changed person – but Harry had his doubts.

Lucius' mouth curled slightly as he stared unblinking at his son. Draco stared back, a sense of terror rising in him. Suddenly, a flash of golden light streaked past his head – The Snitch. Draco grabbed his broomstick and made a hard left, but something stopped him. He looked back to his father, and as the snitch whizzed past him again, he saw a slight warning sign mixed into the usual malice of his eyes. Draco heard the boos and jeers coming from the Slytherin stands. He made for the snitch again, but saw Lucius' head shake no. They continued to stare at each other, communicating without words, and then it dawned on Draco what was happening. He looked back to Harry and saw the snitch fluttering just out of his grasp. He looked at his father. Lucius gave a malicious grin and nodded proudly. He turned to harry.

'Harry! Don't!'

Draco sped after the Gryffindor seeker. Harry (mistaking the warnings for a typically childish Slytherin tactic) raised his speed. Draco caught Harry in the side with the end of his broom, trying desperately to deter him from the snitch. Harry growled but did not falter.

'You'll have to do better than that, Malfoy!' harry taunted. He pushed on faster.

Soon, and without them knowing it, the snitch had led them off the pitch. Instead of crazed fans and supporters, below them now was a rolling hillside. It was safe to say they were not in Hogwarts anymore.

'Harry, this is wrong!' called Malfoy. 'Just come back! We'll call it tie! Call it a bloody victory if you want – I don't care!' But harry could no longer hear him. The wind was rushing so fast in his ears that he could hardly hear anything at all.

Harry stretched out for the snitch again. Draco did his best to hold him back, struggling to keep his clawing hands on the red and gold robes. Harry batted Draco away with a vicious snarl. The snitch dipped down in the fading light and the two boys did the same. Harry was a little concerned about flying his broom outside of Hogwarts boundaries (a punishable offense for students) but he kept telling himself that it was the schools' snitch after all, and it was his duty to seek it no matter what.

They sped on almost at ground level. The scenery was nothing more than a dull blur of colour to them now. The snitch darted so close to Harry's hand that he could actually feel it's wing-beats on his fingertips. Draco winced in pain as he forced everything inside him to go faster. He had to get to Harry in time. He had to stop him before…  
Harry caught the snitch.

CHAPTER 18  
Draco hit the ground. He had no time for a graceful landing. Despite a sharp and growing pain in his right arm, he ran to Harry. Harry stood motionless with the snitch caught tight in his hand.

'Harry?' Harry didn't answer. He stared through Draco with an absent look of terror. He could no longer feel his heart beat and his body seemed to be screaming out for him to breathe. But he couldn't; He was too afraid.

'Harry?' Draco shook him again. He managed to blink. He shuddered a small breath and forced himself to speak.

'I know this place' said Harry in a way that meant he really didn't want to know it at all. Draco looked around. He had been so preoccupied with saving Harry that he hadn't even realised where the snitch had taken them. It was a graveyard.

Draco looked at Harry. Apart from a paralyzing fear, nothing else seemed to be wrong with him. When Harry caught the snitch, Draco had expected…he didn't know what. But something should have happened, something very bad. Or maybe, he thought, it was about to.

'This is my place,' said Draco warily.

'You're place?' said Harry disbelieving, 'You live in a graveyard? You are a vampire!'

'Be serious,' Draco scolded. 'This is the Malfoy family cemetery. It's on the back acre of our land. My house is just over that hill.' He looked at Harry, still terrified. 'You know for someone so "brilliant" at Defense Against the Dark

Arts, Potter, I'd have expected a little more composure. It's just a graveyard.'

'It is NOT just a graveyard,' spat Harry. His fear was turning quickly to rage. 'This is where Diggory died. This is where Voldemort and your father had him KILLED!' Draco blinked. They stared at each other tensely. 'But then you knew that didn't you?' Draco said nothing, and in saying nothing, he knew Harry would condemn him. 'You knew all along…' Draco backed away as Harry stalked menacingly towards him, '…And I bet you were proud.'

'No!' Draco pushed him back.

'You're a Death Eater Malfoy,' hissed Harry, 'Just like your dad.' He put his face threateningly close to Malfoy's.

'…And I'll see you both in Azkaban prison if I don't kill you myself.'

'Spine-chilling Potter,' came a cold sarcastic voice, 'Absolutely spine-chilling.' The boys looked up. Lucius Malfoy was standing astride a decaying tombstone. 'It's a true pity you weren't born to our side. You'd have had the Mudbloods shaking in their Sunday slippers.' Lucius lifted his hand. Harry did the same, albeit involuntarily. The forgotten snitch wriggled free from his grasp and fluttered over to Lucius like an obedient owl. 'Do you like it Potter?' he asked as he took the snitch in his hand. 'It's very good isn't it? Very realistic.' He looked it over. 'But most illusions are.' He closed his fist over it swiftly, crushing it into a fine blue dust. 'And by the time you've figured it out…' He walked slowly to Harry, and showed him the cobalt ash '…It's almost always…' Harry looked a the pile. '…Too late.' Lucius blew the dust into Harry's face. Harry's head shook violently as he tried to free himself of the effects. A second later, he was on his knees, his eyes and lungs grew heavy, and he collapsed to the ground in darkness. Draco stared up at his father as he too found himself on his knees. His eyes pleaded for an explanation as his head touched the ground, but all he got from Lucius was a smile of true, cold-blooded, evil, and a knowledge that one way or another, it would all be over soon.

CHAPTER 19  
Draco opened his eyes. He squinted at the flickering fireplace before him, and coughed a little as he sat up to investigate. This was not a strange place to him. In fact, he knew it well. This was his father's den.

'Ah,' said Lucius from behind, 'Awake at last.' Draco turned to meet him. He was ready for a confrontation – ready to scream and yell and shout for an answer to his father's madness. Mudbloods and Muggle-lovers were one thing, and Draco expected no less of his father than to treat them like vermin, but he was Lucius' son, and Lucius should know better than to treat him the same.

What he was not ready for, is what he saw.

Draco looked over the back of the couch he was resting on. His father stood smiling the same evil smile above him, and beyond, Draco saw Harry…Harry, and a room full of Death Eaters.

'Dad,' breathed Draco in shock, 'What is this?' Lucius pulled Draco to his feet and held him proudly by the shoulders.

'This, my boy, is your initiation.' Harry struggled wearily against the two hooded figures binding him.

'You'll pay for this Malfoy!' snarled Harry wildly. Lucius chuckled.

'I suppose I'll "never get away with this" either,' he added in a melodramatic voice. Harry glared, but could find nothing to say. Lucius was right. No matter how many threats he made, there was nothing Harry could do to save himself.

'What do you mean by "initiation"?' asked Draco hesitantly. Lucius smiled wider.

'This is a very select organization, Draco,' said Lucius, 'It takes more commitment than a simple tattoo.' He turned at Draco's side and pulled the boy's wand from his own robes. 'And what better way to prove your commitment to the Dark Lord, than by killing the Boy Who Lived?' He handed the wand to Draco. Draco looked imploringly to Harry, but received nothing but an icy glare of hatred. Lucius took Draco's hand and the wand it held. He led his so n to Harry and helped Draco steady his aim.

Draco's wand leveled with Harry's chest. Draco looked deep into his enemy's burning green eyes. They were beginning to well with tears, but Harry's face did not stray from its fixed expression of disgust. They stared at each other. Draco's arm began to tremble. He breathed deep in last ditch attempt to psyche himself into it, but it was no good. He lowered his wand.

'I can't,' he said, his own eyes watering.

'Of course you can,' said Lucius raising his son's arm once more. 'All you do, is point, and speak.' It was almost perverted the way Lucius was treating Harry's murder as if he was teaching Draco how to fly a broomstick. Draco shook his head. 'I'll say it with you,' said Lucius, and he began to speak the Unforgivable Curse. Harry fought the urge to close his eyes. He wanted Draco to see the last spark of fire leave his eyes, and he wanted that son of a bitch to live with the memory forever.

'Dad,' said Draco wearily, 'I can't.' Lucius slowly straightened up from his fatherly pose. He looked down his nose at Draco. For a moment, it seemed that Draco would be thrown upon the mercy of the Death Eater's as well, but then Lucius understood.

'I shouldn't have asked you to do this,' admitted Lucius. 'I was just so proud that my son was becoming a Death Eater – one of the greatest honors in the wizarding world,' (Harry laughed), 'That I was completely blind to the fact that you weren't ready.' Draco couldn't believe what he was hearing. He was so relieved. 'Killing a fellow wizard – even one as disgraceful as Harry Potter – is a serious thing. Perhaps we should start with something easier...' Lucius walked over to a velvet curtain at the side of the room. 'Perhaps we should start with vermin…' He drew back the curtain on a cage of blazing green fire. At the centre stood a huddled figure, shrieking from fear. 'Perhaps we should start…' Draco gazed in absolute horror as Hermione called out his name. '…With her.'

CHAPTER 20  
'You're telling me you won't kill a Mudblood!?' demanded Lucius angrily. Even if he had understood Draco's reluctance to kill Harry, he would never understand this. Draco, once again, let silence be his executioner. 'YOU FINISH HER NOW OR I WILL KILL YOU WHERE YOU STAND!' roared Lucius. Draco flinched. Lucius raised his wand from across the room. As Draco made no move to obey his command, Lucius whipped his wand through the air and magically tore at his son's face. Draco lifted his head, hand on his bleeding cheek, to face his father. He was now looking very much like Harry; the look of someone who knows they're about to die, but still dares death to try and take them.

'I won't finish her, father,' said Draco defiantly, 'I love her.'  
The room fell silent. Harry looked from Draco to Hermione. Hermione did not seem shocked by the revelation. She simply started to cry.

'You what?' asked Lucius, as if he suspected that he'd heard the confession all wrong.

'I love her.' Draco said this very slowly and very clear and did not once look down from his father's accusing sights.  
Lucius stared at him almost blankly.

'You're a fool,' he concluded in a deadly whisper. 'You're an insolent brat and you have no idea what love is.'

'And what would a black-hearted snake like you know?' asked Hermione bluntly.

'Love is nothing more than the result of a potion that your body creates,' explained Lucius dutifully. 'Nothing more than a chemical reaction,' he leered at Hermione, 'To a catalyst of desire.

'It is worse than the Imperius, Cruciatus, and Avada Kedavra curses combined, and it makes it's victims far too foolish to see it: You would do anything love asks; You would suffer any pain love wills; and you would die any death love demands. Tell me that love is not the most heinous of all the Unforgivable Curses.'

Draco finally looked down. He began to shake his head, but stopped.

'You're absolutely right,' he said facing Lucius once more. 'I would do anything for love.' He aimed his wand squarely at his father. 'And now, you're going to die for it: AVADA KE – 'Crack! A thunderous bolt of violet energy filled the room. Draco fell back into Harry as the Death Eaters scrambled from the destructive force. Lucius got to his feet, and as the haze cleared, he was not alone.

'Lucius,' hissed the newcomer, 'I am impressed. A boy who would kill his own father is a man worth having on my side.'

Harry scrambled to his feet. He reached out to steal Draco's wand, but Draco was too quick. After a brief disgruntled glance to one another, Draco and Harry turned their sights to the scene unfolding.

'Who are you?' demanded Draco, clutching tightly at his wand.

'That won't help you,' whispered Harry distantly.

'Who am I?' repeated the serpentine voice. 'I am the name most wizards fear to speak.' Harry felt a lump forming in his throat. Draco still didn't seem to be getting it.

'Draco, give me your wand' whispered Harry quickly.

'What? No.'

'Draco, now.' Draco refused again. Suddenly, the sharp sting of the Dark Mark made itself known. Draco heard a scream and thought it must have been his own, until he saw Harry on the ground beside him, clutching the lightning bolt scar on his forehead. Draco looked up as the creature in the mist spoke again.

'I am the reason you're here,' it hissed to Draco, 'And the reason you'll soon be gone,' it sneered at Harry.

'I want to hear your name!' yelled Draco, fighting back the tears of pain, as the Dark Mark burned hotter. By now the Death Eaters had reformed and were circled faithfully at all possible points of escape.

'I am,' hissed the creature, 'Who you know I am…I am, The Dark Lord, Voldemort!'  
Harry almost snarled at the admission, his teeth ground shut from a mixture of anger and pain. Draco barely blinked as he raised his wand.

'Good,' he said casually, 'Just making sure. AVADA KEDAVRA!' This time the loud crack heralded a green light. It engulfed the room with a blinding fury. Harry looked to Draco, about half a metre away – the full range of his vision as it stood. Draco looked very pleased with himself indeed and grinned back at Harry. But a shrill, feminine squeal suddenly indicated that something had gone horribly wrong.

As the light died from the room, the two boys got to their feet. Voldemort was standing beside the place that Draco had aimed at, with his wand held out in a deflective position. Draco looked past Voldemort to the fiery green cage, only, the cage was no longer there. The spell – his spell – had destroyed it.

'Hermione!' Harry leapt to his feet and bolted past Draco to see if Hermione was ok. She wasn't. Draco watched, stunned, as Harry tried everything he could think of to wake her. Harry held Hermione in his arms. He brushed her mousy brown hair from her neck and put his fingers on her absent pulse. Harry looked up at Draco in shock. 'She's dead,' he said hopelessly. 'You killed her.'

CHAPTER 21  
Draco dropped his wand. He stared silently at Hermione. Harry had to be lying. There was no way she could be dead. There was no way he could have…

The sound of slow applause woke Draco from his petrified trance. He looked over to see Lucius, beating his hands together with a proud and appreciative smile. Soon, the other Death Eaters had joined him, and the entire circle had erupted in cheers of triumph and celebration for the young Malfoy's first kill. Harry glared at them all but no one seemed to care. A cold, skeletal hand clasped itself over Draco's shoulder as he tried to think of something to do or say.

'A good start,' said Voldemort icily, 'A very good start. However…' His grip became tighter and more agitated. 'It would appear that you never meant to kill the Mudblood at all, so one would wonder, should her death mean anything to your becoming a Death Eater?' Lucius looked insulted.

'But my Lord,' he said in his son's defense, 'Draco held the wand; he said the curse! If his intent was not to kill, then what?'

'Oh his intent was to kill,' affirmed Voldemort, slithering into Draco's view. 'But his intent was to kill me.' The Death Eaters gasped, although they had been entertaining the notion for quite some time. 'I must say, Draco, that I am somewhat impressed…if not saddened. You obviously took great pride and pleasure in committing the murder, albeit mistakenly.' Draco was forgetting how to breathe. He could feel his heart racing with fear and his arm surging with pain, both from the claw-like vice on his shoulder and the searing heat of the Dark Mark. 'I could have used a man like you.' Lucius flinched at the Dark Lord's use of the words 'could have'. He looked at Draco and was quite sure that this would be the last time he would see his son alive. 'But I'm afraid,' continued Voldemort, 'That you have already proven where your loyalties lie.' Draco looked at Harry holding Hermione, even though the life had long since left her. He screamed out as Voldemort dug his claws in deeper. Draco kicked out and struck his own wand, sending it undetected in Harry's direction. 'And I don't think I have any need of betrayers to me, or the Mark.' Draco gritted his teeth as Voldemort ripped the bandage from his arm. The Dark Mark was there, charred and disfigured. Voldemort pushed Draco to the ground at Lucius' feet. Lucius stared wide-eyed at what Draco had done to his distinguished gift.

'You filthy little traitor,' breathed Lucius in scorned disbelief.

'Dad…' Draco pleaded, but Lucius would have none of it. He looked at Draco for the last time, and then back at Harry.

'What do you wish us to do with them, my Lord?' asked Lucius bitterly.

Draco held his injured arm close to his body and tried to meet his father's eyes.

'Dad?' he whispered hopefully. Lucius avoided Draco thoroughly and waited for Voldemort's command.

'Kill them both,' said Voldemort with the utmost satisfaction.  
Lucius raised his wand to Harry. Harry's hand darted out to Draco's wand.

'Expelliarmus!' Harry cried urgently. The spell knocked Lucius flat and sent his wand reeling to the other side of the room. Harry, too, was leveled by the force of it, but managed to keep a grip on the over-zealous wand. With Lucius down, there was a gap in the circle of Death Eaters. Harry dragged Draco off the floor and made a run for the door, but Draco pulled him back.

'What about Hermione?' he asked.

'Hermione's dead Draco,' answered Harry bluntly, 'There's not a whole lot we can do for her now.' Draco's heart sank as Harry tried to move him to the door.

'No,' said Draco forcefully, 'This way!' Harry conceded that Draco probably knew his own house better than he did, and followed. They scrambled for the fireplace. There on the mantle was a black urn of ashes.

'Is that Floo Powder?' asked Harry, worried that they were fast becoming cornered.

'Yes,' said Draco, throwing the entire contents of the urn into the fire. 'Now get in!' Harry and Draco leapt into the green fire.

'Now what?' mouthed Harry, not wanting to set the Floo Powder into action prematurely. Draco stared at the oncoming Death Eaters. He knew that wherever they told the Floo Powder to take them, the Death Eaters would just follow by apparating. He panicked.

'Anywhere but here!' he screamed, and the Floo Powder obeyed.

CHAPTER 22  
The feeling of cold stone brought them both to their senses. Harry looked around while Draco shook the dead ash from his hair. They were in a circular hut, which seemed to be empty at the moment.

'This is Hagrid's place,' said Harry. The oversized everything was a dead give away. Harry looked back at Draco. Draco clambered out of the fireplace. He was met by a disapproving look of accusation.

'What?' he asked defensively.

' "Anywhere but here"?' repeated Harry slowly. 'Do you have any idea where we could have ended up!?' he yelled.

'We could've been sent to Voldemort's lair for all you know!'

'But I had to say something!' argued Draco. 'Besides, I didn't see you offering up any suggestions!' Draco began to calm down. 'At least they can't follow us here.' A distant cheer distracted them from their bickering. 'The Quidditch game is still on,' he remembered.

'They're probably wondering where we are,' added Harry. 'And what we've been doing.' He looked at Draco.

'So what are we going to tell them?' asked Draco. Harry paused.

'I'm going to tell them the truth.'

Harry left the hut and crossed the darkened fields of Hogwarts to the floodlit Quidditch pitch. Draco stared after him until Harry was nothing more than a dull shadow engulfed by night, and then stood in the doorway, contemplating his fate.

Draco ran into the Forbidden Forest. Running and hiding were perhaps not the noblest of options, but he didn't really have a choice. He knew he couldn't go on living in this world with what he had done, but if the concepts of Heaven and Hell held any truth at all, he also knew where death would take him.

Draco knew this part of the forest well. He had been treading it for weeks and weeks, but he had not always been alone. His robes got caught on a thorn bush as he brushed past it. He held the light of his wand to it. As he freed himself, he noticed another piece of thread caught up in the branches. It was Hermione's. This was the same place she had been caught. It was a stupid and trivial thing to remember, but he couldn't stop thinking about it. He remembered every move she had made, and every twist of her hands. He even remembered the frustrated little grunt she had made when it had all proved too much for her. And then he had helped her – saved her, in a way. Such a stupid little thing to remember, and yet he didn't want to forget it. He released the thread form the thorns and tied it around his ring finger, to make sure he never would.

It had been hours now. He had never been this far into the forest before. He didn't know what time it was, but even if morning had broken, he felt quite sure that he would never know about it. It was a place of perpetual darkness, the Forbidden Forest, and it was not more than he deserved.

Draco started at a noise in the bushes. Against all his better judgement, he lit up his wand again. The light he was casting was dimmer than usual. He could almost feel the magic leaving him as well as everything else he cared about. The rustling got closer. Draco stood up, prepared for a duel, with what, he didn't know.

The White Stag stepped out of the bushes. Draco lowered his wand. The stag looked at him curiously, and cautiously. It stepped forward.

'Hi,' whispered Draco, so as not to spook it, 'Do you remember me?' He held up his hand to touch it, but the stag jumped back. Draco was confused for a second, then he remembered that the stag could sense the Mark. 'No,' he assured it, 'That's not me. At least, that's not what I want to be.' The stag inched closer to him. It flinched a little as Draco laid his hand on its neck, but soon understood that he had no intention of hurting it. 'I just wish…' confessed Draco, beginning to cry, 'I wish I'd never gotten the Dark Mark.'

The White Stag looked at Draco, and bowed its head into the Mark. Draco watched as the stag's coat began to shine brighter. Draco felt his arm tingling and sensed a warm wind rising all around him. He closed his eyes, as the white light of the stag grew stronger and brighter and his entire body felt lighter than air. It was almost like he was becoming a part of the wind. He whirled around aimlessly for a second or two, and then he felt his feet touch ground.

Draco opened his eyes. The stag was still watching him. He looked at his arm and saw that the Dark Mark was completely gone. He felt no pain, and no fear, and there was a warm sense of freedom all over. He looked around. There was nothing but blue sky and grass. Then he heard his fellow Slytherins and a few nosey Gryffindors, who had eyes on him also.

'Well,' bellowed a huge voice from behind the fence, 'Looks like Malfoy's made a friend.' Draco looked back. There was Hagrid, standing watch over his Care of Magical Creatures class, and beside him stood Harry and Ron…and Hermione.

Draco's heart stopped. He didn't know what to do. His first impulse was to run to her, but he was in such fantastic shock that he could barely move. He felt completely stupid as he grinned form ear to ear, but there was no containing his excitement. He turned back to thank the White Stag, but the White Stag was gone. Before him now

stood an ordinary brown stag with no magic at all. Hagrid climbed the fence.

'Made a wish too, did ye?' Draco nodded. 'Well, bes' ter le' 'im go then.' Hagrid undid the tether. 'He'll be good in another few months or so.' The stag bounded away into the forest once more. Hagrid leant down to Draco as the other students climbed disappointedly back over the fence. 'Er, if yer don' mind me askin',' he said, 'Wha' exac'ly did ye wish fer?'

Draco looked at Hermione. He knew she wouldn't remember anything they'd been through together, but maybe that wasn't such a bad thing. This was a fresh start, and a chance to fall in love with her all over again. He smiled at her, and then at Hagrid.

'I wished to be happy again.' Hagrid nodded approvingly and sent Draco off after the others.  
Draco stopped at Hermione's side.

'Can we talk?' he asked her nervously. Harry and Ron were suspicious, but Hermione seemed interested in what he had to say. 'In private?' he added. Hermione looked to her friends, but they didn't seem ready to leave. She gave them a discrete signal to make themselves scarce, and they unwillingly obliged.

'I'm listening,' she said to Draco once they were alone. Draco took a deep breath.

'I'm sorry,' he blurted. 'I'm sorry for everything I've ever done to you; the names I've called you, the tricks I've played, and all the general not-niceness I've inflicted upon you and your friends…" He held Hermione's hands in his. 'I've been through a lot these past few weeks, and it made me realise something…' He took another deep breath and stared straight into Hermione's eyes. 'I love you,' he said. 'I know this sounds sudden, but I think I've always loved you. I didn't want to admit it before because I thought it might make me weak, but now I know that it makes me strong. You, make me strong.' Hermione was speechless. 'I had a dream where I lost you,' continued Draco, his voice shaking, 'And it was the worst thing I've ever experienced in my life. I don't ever want to lose you again.'  
Hermione was still speechless. Of all the things she had expected Draco Malfoy to say to her, 'I love you' was probably the last.

'Do you really think you love me?' she asked, fearing that this might be another cruel joke. Draco held her just as she had held him the Forbidden Forest.

'I know I do.' He kissed her and it was like the stag had granted him another wish. The bell rang for the next class and Hermione pulled herself away from him. She stared up at him with uncertainty. His expression of adoration hadn't changed.

'I'll see you after class,' she said with a blushing grin, and then ran off to join her friends in the castle. Draco looked after her with a dreamy expression.

'See you after class,' he whispered back, then walked blissfully off to his next lesson of the day, trying very hard to remember which day it actually was.


End file.
